Toponymy
The village name has probably been spelt variously as Baldereswella, Baldeswell, Badswell, Bawsewella, Baldeswelle. The exact meaning of the name of the village is lost in history with a number of possible origins. Well or wella is an old word for stream or spring and it is clear that there has always been water here with quite a number of wells still surviving, the water table being 12 feet (3.7 m) or less. Baldhere can be found listed as a boy's name. In Old English it meant 'Strong or Courageous Army' and may date back before the 7th century, in Norse it was a mythological son of the God Odin and in Swedish meant 'The God of Light'. In this village name context it is probably from the Old English given name Baldhere and refers to a source of water belonging to or possibly discovered by him. Therefore, the original spelling may have been Baldhereswella or something similar.
Internet searches have failed to find another village, town or place called 'Bawdeswell' so the name appears to be unique.
Read more about this topic: Bawdeswell